Friday, November 18, 2011

Sour beers becoming mainstream?

There is no doubt about it, sour beers are an acquired taste. I have tried to open the eyes of many to the wonders of a fine sour, but have made very little headway. In fact, I fear that each sour I try to introduce to the uninitiated may in fact be pushing them further away from giving the style the chance it deserves. Maybe it is my presentation, who knows. The style is, however, making its way into the mainstream, sort of. The Food Network show, Chopped, gives chefs a mystery basket of ingredients that must be incorporated into a serving of food. The ingredients are usually very unique, and would not normally be put together. In a recent episode, "Sour Beer", as the generic label read, made an appearance. Is it the growing popularity of the brew that catapulted it onto the show, or the fact that is it a "weird" ingredient? I don't know, but I was happy to see this fantastic style of beer represented in any way on a popular cooking show. Who knows, this may be the start of great things to come for this sleeping giant of a beer.